Producting equipment for wells



Nov. 30, 1943. A. J. PENICK ETAL PRODUCING EQUIPMENT FOR WELLS Filed Sept. 11. 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hear 7." Pnv/cx M 5 v l r N N 0 w w M a A A l r// L a E W w ,h 7 5 m A n l a ,7 v 5 5 z T\\\\\\E Nov. 30, 1943. A. J. PENICK ETAL PRODUCING EQUIPMENT FOR WELLS Filed Sept. 11, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENIOI AerHule d. PfNIC/ B K1267 ZPsmcn Patented Nov. 30, 1943 PRODUCING EQUIPMENT FOR WELLS Arthur J. Penick and Kirby 'r. Penick,

Houston, Tex.

Application September 11, 1939, Serial N 0. 294,232

Claims. (Cl. 166-15) This invention relates to producing equipment for wells.

An object of the invention is to provide equipment of the character described whereby oil or obtained from both strata at the same time, or

from either stratum to the exclusion of the other.

It is another object of the inventionto provide producing equipment of the character described whereby oil and gas may be produced from either stratum and, if desired, the gas so produced may be returned into the other stratum to maintain the pressure therein and to avoid the waste of gas; all as more specifically hereinafter explained.

The invention also comprehends a novel type of well head for supporting a plurality of tubing in the same well.

The invention also embodies a novel combination of well head and Christmas tree whereby the operator may control the production and select the stratum from which the production is to be maintained and by means of which the gas produced from high pressure area may be returned into the well and into a producing stratum having a lower pressure.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows fragmentary vertical sectional view of the control valve casing showing the Christmas tree body mounted thereon.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the casing head and the tubing head assembled therewith showing a fragmentary portion of the valve casing.

Figure 4 shows a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a side elevation of' the assembled well head, and I Figure 6 shows a side elevation partly in section of the lower end of the tubing and packer assembly.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates a well casing to the upper end of which the casing head 2 is attached. The casing head has the inside downwardly converging seat 3 and bolted onto the casing head there is the tubing head 4. Mounted on the seat 3 there is an adapter 5 having the surrounding seal rings 6 forming a fluid tight seal with the seat 3. Within the adapter is the downwardly converging seat 1 to receive the wedge shaped slips 8, which surround the upperend of the producing string 9 which extends down into the well. The upper end of the adapter is inwardly thickened so as to closely surround the string 9 to which it is welded as shown in Figure 3. The slips 8 have the upwardly extended guide .pins I0 which work in suitable aligned bearings II in said inwardly thickened portion ofthe adapter as also shown in Figure 3. The lower end of the tubing head 4 is provided with an annular downwardly flared seat l2 which receives the upper end of the adapter 5 and surrounding said upper end and counter-sunk therein are the seal rings as l3 which form a fluid tight seal between the upper end of the adapter and the seat l2.

countersunk into the tubing head 4 and closely surrounding the upper end of the string 9 there is a seal ring M. A gland I5 is fitted within the tubing head against the lower side of the ring l4 and is locked therein against downward movement by the surrounding locking ring I6. When the parts are assembled a downwardly flared compression ring I! is seated on the adapter and in turnsupports the gland l5 whereby to maintain the packing l4 under compression to maintain the required seal about the pipe string 9. The producing string may be adjusted to any required depth in the well and supported therein by the slips 8.

The upper end of the tubing head 4 has a downwardly converging inside seat [8 to receive a novel type of adapter l9 shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4. This adapter is of a general cylindrical form, but is externally tapered downwardly to conform to the taper of and fit on to the seat I8. The adapter has a plurality of vertical bores 20. The number of said bores depending on the number of strings of tubing to be used in the well, two being shown. The lower end of each bore 20 is tapered downwardly forming the seat 2|. The numerals 22, 23 designate the strings of tubing through which the oil or gas is produced from the well and delivered to the surface. The strings of tubing are maintained suspended by means of the downwardly tapering slips 24 on the seats 2|.

When the tubing has been lowered into the well to the desired location and the slips 24 inserted into place on the seats 2|, hold down wedge rings as 25 are seated on the upwardly tapering upper ends of said' slips and the glands 26 are then screwed into the upper ends of the bores 20 against said wedge rings to secure the slips in place. The tubing is suspended in the well and secured therein by said slips before the valve casing 21 is mounted on the tubing head. I

The lower end of the tubing 23 is extended beneath the lower end of the tubing 22 and a conventional type of packer 23a is' mounted'on said extended end. In installing the equipment in a well having a lower producing stratum as 33 and an upper producing stratum as 34, it should be so installed that the packer 23a will be located between said strata and expanded so as to form a seal to separate the producing strata. It will be noted from Figure 6 that the producing string is perforated opposite the respective producing strata. Production may thus be carried on from the well through both tubings 22, 23, ii. desired.

When the tubing have been positioned in the well and secured in the desired position, the valve casing 21 maybe mounted and secured on the tubing head 4 as shown in Figures 3 and 5, and the Christmas tree body 28 is then mounted and secured on the valve casing, the assembly being shown more accurately in Figures 1 and 5. The valve casing 21 and Christmas tre body have the fluid passageways 29, 35, leading upwardly there-- through whose upper ends may be closed by the caps 3|, 32 provided with tapped holes to receive the pressure gauges 3| a, 32a illustrated in Figure 5. The Joints between the tubing head and casing head and between the valve casing and the tubing head and Christmas tree are sealed with conventional annular seal rings as shown and the upper end of the Christmas tree body is formed The passageways 29, 30 are controlled by any suitable type of valves as 35, 31, mounted in the casing 21. A preferred type of valve for this purpose is disclosed in our co-pending application for Valve assembly, filed July 22, 1939, under Serial No. 285,834, now Patent No. 2,219,271, granted October 22. 1940.

The casing head is provided with oppositely disposed tapped holes 38, 39 for the connection of a valve controlled flow line as 45 thereto. In case a single flow line 45 is used, the other tapped hole may be closed by a plug 4|. Fluid from the casing I may be drawn oil? through the line 45.

The tubing head 4 is provided with tapped holes 42, 43, one of which, when not in use, may be closed by the plug 44 and valve controlled flow devicev 45 may be connected into the other tapped hole of the tubing head.

The Christmas tree body is provided with the this timebeing open and the return gas line conupper tapped holes 45, 41 into the respective channels 23, 33 and which are normally closed by the plu s 43, 43, and said Christmas tree body is also provided with the lower tapped holes 50, 5| leading into said channels 23, 33, for the attachment of the flow connections 52, 53 thereto.

With the valve 33 open and the valve 31 closed, fluid may flow from the upper stratum 34 through the tubing 22 and out through the Christmas tree connection 52: with both the valves 35, 31 open,

the fluid may flow from both strata 33 and 34 and out through the Christmas tree connections 52, 53, or the valve 33 may be closed and the valve 31 opened and production thus obtained from the lower stratum 33 only.

- On the other hand while oil is being produced from a stratum through one tubing a certain ammmto! gas may also escape. If it be desired to do so said gas may be returned into the other stratum through the other tubing, or through the string 3, thus preventing the waste of said gas and the stratum to which the gas has been returned. For example, while oil or gas is being produced from the lower stratum 33, which is usually of higher pressure than that of the upper stratum 34 the plug 48 may be removed and a return gas lineconnected into the tapped hole 45 and the gas being delivered through the tubing 23 may be collected and returned through the tubing 22 into the upper stratum 34, the valve 35 at this time being open; or such gas return line may be connected into the tapped hole 43 and the gas returned through the string 9 into the stratum 34. This return of gas to the stratum 34 may be continued until the pressures in the two strata are equal whereupon the valve 35 may be closed and production continued through the tubing 23 until the pressure in the stratum 33 is exhausted. Thereupon the valve 38 may be opened and the oil and gas produced through the tubing 22 and the s under pr ssur may t en be returned into the stratmn 33 through the tubing 23, the valve 31 at nected into the tapped hole 41. Thus while produciug oil from either stratum the excess gas may be returned into the other stratum alternately as hereinabove explained until the excess gas from both strain is exhausted.

As herei'nabove indicated, when the tubing 22, 23 are being lowered into place in the well, the valve casing 21 and the Christmas tree will not yet have been installed on the tubing head, but intead thereof a blowout preventer will be in stalled onthe tubing head oi a type to permit the lowering oi. the two strings of tubing therethrough and to guard against the gas blowout while the tubing are being lowered. A suitable blowout preventer for this purpose is disclosed in our oo-pending application. When the tubing have been lowered to the desired place and anchored in the tubing head, said blowout pre-' venter will be removed and the valve casing 21 with the Christmas tree thereon will be mounted on the tubing head as shown in Figure 5.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In producing'equipment for wells a casin head, a tubing head thereon, means in the tubing head for and supporting separate flow tubes suspended in the well, a valve casing on the tubing head, a Christmas tree body on the valve casing, said valve casing and Christmas tree body having separate channels leading from the respective flow tubes upwardly therethrough and valve controlled flow lines connected with the respective channels.

2. In well producing equipment a casing head, a tubing head thereon, separate means in the tubing head for su portin p rate flow tubes suspended in the well, a valve casing on the tubing head, a Christmas tree body on the valve casing, said casing and body having channels therethrough leading from the respective tubes, valve controlled conduits communicating with said channel.

3. In well producing equipment a casing head, a tubing head thereon, separate means in the tubing head for supporting separate flow tubes suspended in the well, a valve casing on the tubing head. a Christmas tree body on the valve casing, said casing and body having channels therethrough leading from the respective tubes, valve controlled conduits communicating with said channel, and valves in the valve casing for opening and closing said conduits.

4, In well producing equipment a casing head.

a tubing head thereon, separate means in the tubing head for supporting separate flow tubes suspended in the well, a valve casing on the tubing head. a Christmas tree body on the valve casing, said casing and body having channels therethrough leading from the respective tubes. valve controlled conduits communicating with said channels and a valve controlled conduit leading outwardly from the tubing head.

5. In well producing equipment a casing head, a tubing head thereon, separate means in the tubing head for supporting separate flow tubes suspended in the well, a valve casing on the tubing head, a Christmas tree body on the valve casing, said casing and body having channels therethrough leading from the respective tubes, valve controlled conduits communicating with said channels, valves in the valve casing for opening and closing said conduits, and sealing means in the valve casing around the tubes.

ARTHUR J. PENICK. ERBY T. PENICK. 

